Integral table and seating arrangement

ABSTRACT

AN INTEGRAL TABLE AND SEATING ARRANGEMENT IN WHICH A NUMBER OF SEATS TOGETHER WITH BACK RESTS ARE SUITABLE ABOUT A TABLE PORTION SUPPORTED AT ITS CENTER. THE SUPPORT FOR THE TABLE PORTION IS IN THE FORM OF A VERTICAL POST EXTENDING TO A BASE RESTING ON THE FLOOR. THE BASE EXTENDS OVER SUFFICIENT AREA ON THE FLOOR TO PROVIDE A STABLE SUP-   PORT FOR THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY. THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE TABLE PORTION AND ADJOINING SEATS, IS DESIGNED TO FORM AN INTEGRAL TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION.

Feb. 2, 1971 ENT Filed Sept. 26, 1968 United States Patent O 3,560,046 INTEGRAL TABLE AND SEATING ARRANGEMENT Jeffrey Owen Brosk, 150 E. 69th St., New York, N.Y. 10005 Filed Sept. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 762,709 Int. Cl. A47b 25/00 U.S. 'CL 297-157 8 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE An integral table and seating arrangement in which a number of seats together with back rests are situated about a table portion supported at its center. The support for the table portion is in the form of a vertical post extending to a base resting on the oor. The base extends over sufficient area on the floor to provide a stable support for the entire assembly. The arrangement of the table portion and adjoining seats, is designed to form an integral type of construction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the design of furniture as, for example, bridge-playing or card playing tables and chairs, it is desirable to provide for a unitary or integral type of construction in order to realize both spatial and economic advantages. Thus, it is desirable to form the table and seats of one integral structure in which the seats are maintained in a fixed relationship to the table. The present invention provides for such an advantageous design in which the table and chairs or seats are of substantially unitary or integral construction in the form of molded structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A table and seating arrangement in which the table and seats are of substantially integral construction and in xed relationship to each other. The table is preferably supported by a center post xed to a supporting base on the floor. The supporting base is sufiiciently wide and extends over sucient area to provide a rm and stable support for the table and seating arrangement. The table has a plurality of cutouts at which seats are mounted in place through suspension straps extending from the bottom of the table surface. These suspension straps form a cantilever support for the seats mounted about the table portion. Persons may slip into or out of the seats at the end lying opposite to which the suspension strap supports the seat. The table is provided with cutouts of a design which assures comfortable seating about the table. The upper portions of the backs of the chairs are preferably curved so that the top edges thereof and the edge of the table top are concentric forming a substantially circular contour.

Various specific purposes, features and advantages will clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms part of this specification and illustrates merely by way of examples embodiments of the device of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specic names for convenience, but such names are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawing, in which FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the integral assembly of the table and seating construction in accordance with the present invention;

Patented Feb. 2, 1971 ICC DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawing, the arrangement in accordance with the present invention includes a base portion 10 in contact with the floor. The base portion 10 is of large diameter, having a rim 12 joined to a hub 14 through spokes 16. It is desirable that the rim 12 be of large diameter in order to provide for maximum stability of the table and seating arrangement. For the purpose of saving material, however, the base portion 10 may not be made of solid material. Instead, it may be designed so as to include the open areas 18 which serve to diminish the weight of the overall unit while, at the same time, incur savings in material. Through this design in which the open areas 18 are included, however, no diminishing in the stability or the strength of the support is incurred. Thus, the stability and strength of the arrangement remains fully intact by providing the spokes 16 for securing the rim 12 to the hub 14.

Extending from the hub 14 is a supporting post 20. This vertical post supports at its upper end, the table portion 22. The latter is supported or fixed to the post 20 at its geometrical center, or center of gravity. With this construction, therefore, the table portion 22 is fully balanced upon the post 20. The table portion 22 is provided with a plurality of cutouts which may be straightedged as seen at 24 or curved as seen at 33 (FIG. 7), to permit the seating of persons about the table. The table portion has a circular contour, designed for the purpose of seating a maximum number of persons about the table. Thus, to accommodate a maximum number of persons, it is desirable that the table be of circular design or be in the form of a round table.

The cutouts 24 or 33 extend from the edge of the circular outline of the table portion 22, and possess a straight or curved line surface against which a person may be comfortably seated. A seating portion or panel 28 is located beneath the cutout portion 24 or 33, upon which a person may sit. The seat portion or panel 28 is provided with a back rest 30. The back rest 30 is shaped so as to conform to the exterior circular contour of the rim of the table portion 22. The back rest portion 30 is tangent to the rim of the table portion 22, at the section 30a, and the cutout 24 or 33 is such as to permit the comfortable seating of a person from the open end 30b. This end 30b permits the person to move into and out of the seat 28.

The seat 28 is xed in relation to the table portion 22 and the straight or curved lined edge 24 or 33 through a. suspension strap 32. This suspension strap 32 has an angled portion 32a attached to the bottom surface of the table portion 22. At its other end, the strap 32 has another angled portion 32b extending beneath the lower surface of the seating portion 28. This angled portion 32b supports the seat 28, and maintains the latter in suspended relationship to the table portion 22. The angled portion 32b is attached or integrally constructed with the bottom surface of the seating portion 28. The suspension strap 32,

together with its angled portions 32a and 32b, provides for cantilevered support of seating portion 28. To provide for maximum area of the table portion 22, the straightlined portion 24 or 33 terminates in an angled straight line portion 26 adjoining the back seat or back rest portion 30. Thus, as a result of the cutouts in the form of the lined portions 24 or 33 and 26, suflicient space is allotted to the person for sliding into the seat 28 and being comfortably positioned in front of the table portion 22. The person to be seated at the table portion 22 slips into and out of the seat portion 28, at the end opposite to which the strap 32 prevails. Thus, the strap 32 is at the end at which the straight line cutout 26 is located. In this manner, the strap 32 for supporting or suspending the seat portion 28, does not interfere with the seating of the person in front of the table portion 22. The angled portions 32a and 32h of the strap 32, may be bent or angled in opposite directions so as to form a Z-shaped structure. In an alternate design, on the other hand, these angled portions 32a and 3211 may be angled in relation to each other so that they are directed or bent in the same direction so as to form a channel-shaped structure. The relationship of the seat portion 28 to the table portion 22 remains unaltered with either one of the designs of the strap 32, and its angled portions 32a and 32b. The design of the table portion 22 in relation to the seat portion 28, the back rest 30, and the base support through the post 20, may all be of integral design or structure. Thus, all of these members or portions may be formed simultaneously from a single casting or molding poured of light metal or other suitable casting or plastics material by which an integral construction is realized. In this manner, it is not required to apply the conventional fastening methods of welding or bolting, for purposes of securing the parts together in a completed assembly. However, the table 22 may be molded together with the chairs as a unit and the supporting base 10 may be joined to the table portion 22, by way of the post 20, in a manner whereby an entire assembly is made possible. Any other suitable method of construction may be employed. The material from which the integral design may be realized may be in the form of ferrous or nonferrous metals, fibreglass, or any of the synthetic derivatives in the form of plastics.

The number of seats situated around the table portion 22 is not limited to the four shown in the drawing. By increasing the diameter of the table portion 22, any number of desired seats may be accommodated about the edge or rim of the table. Thus, with increase in the diameter of the circular contour of the table portion 22, its circumference is correspondingly increased, and this permits an increase in the surface along which the seats may be accommodated. It is also not essential that the number of seats planned about the table portion 22 be of an even number. An odd number of seats may readily be incorporated into the design without affecting, in any Way, its merits or method of manufacture by which an integral construction is realized.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to certain preferred examples which give satisfactory results, it Will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the principle of the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modications.

What is claimed is:

1. A table and seating arrangement comprising, in combination, a table portion fol seating persons about its circumference, said table portion having cutouts along its circumference at which persons are to be seated; means supporting said table portion on the underside of said table portion; seating portions suspended about the circumference of said table portion and facing said cutouts along said circumference; suspension members secured to the underside of said table portion and one side of said seating portions for suspending said seating portions in Ifixed and predetermined relationship to said table portion; and back rest portions secured to said seating portions and providing back support for the persons to be seated on said seating portions about the circumference of said table portion, the tops of said back rest portions being secured at said one side to the rim of said table portion for reinforcing said seating portions.

2. A table and seating arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the outer edge of said table portion between said cutouts is substantially circular-shaped.

3. A table and seating arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said back rest portions are curved in substantial conformance to the shape of said outer edge of said table portion.

4. A table and seating arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said suspension members comprise cantilever supports for said seating portions at one end, the other end of said seating portions being free to admit a person for seating thereon.

5. A table and seating arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said suspension members comprise an elongated strip-shaped member with an angled portion at each end of said strip-shaped member, one angled portion being secured to the underside of said table portion and the other angled portion being secured to the underside of said seating portion.

6.. A table and seating arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said means supporting said table portion comprise a vertical post member, a base member secured to said post member and extending radially from said post member for stably supporting said post member and thereby said table portion, said base member adapted to rest upon a oor.

7. A table and seating arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said base member comprises a central hub member secured to said post member and surrounding the same; a plurality of spoke members extending radially 40 from said hub member and the axis of said post member; and a rim member concentric with said hub member and secured to said spoke members.

8. The table and seating arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said vertical post member supports said table portion at a point comprising the center of gravity of said table portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,023,830 12/1935 Dusinberre 297-157X 2,367,011 1/1945 Demmien 297-157 2,570,301 10/1951 Adsit 297-157 3,055,721 9/1962 Holt 108-150X 3,208,795 9/1965 Schultz 10S-150K 6G 3,262,733 7/1966 Black et al 297-142 FOREIGN PATENTS 415,549 8/1934 Great Britain 297--157 JAMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 108-150 

